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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

greens greens the magical.... vegetable?

i've loved greens of all types since i was little... call me a southern girl, but they've been part of my family meals forever. i didn't start cooking them myself until a year or two ago though-- partly because i didn't realize how easy they were to make! i always watched my mom make an intimidatingly big pot of them, overflowing full of mustard greens, kale, spinach, and collards, and watch them cook down for a lonnnngggg time... my dad's favorite way to eat them is with apple cider vinegar, so we would always sprinkle some on top.

now that's great, but after experimenting and reading more about them myself, i realized number one, you don't have to cook them forever. number two, there are so many things you can do with them!! i do still love to mix all the different types of greens together, but sometimes i like them separately as well. i also read something else recently, that you should chop them right before you put them into the pan, because a lot of the nutrients drain out when you cut them.

Sauté the onion in some oil (flavored olive oil works well here). Add garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add chili flakes here if you're going to use it, or use black pepper. Also add the salt (I'm not sure how much i used, but I used sea salt, and tended to be generous with it and taste and add more depending on the flavor in the end).

Add the chopped kale into the onion/garlic mixture, and sauté for approximately 5-8 minutes. Add the broth if you're using it.

Add in the cashews, tomatoes, and half of the sesame seeds and stir for another few minutes.